May 11, 2005

Contact: Gordon Ovenshine 724-738-4854; gordon.ovenshine@sru.edu

ATTENTION: All tickets to this concert have been mailed out. All ticketholders must be in their seats by 6:50 p.m., at which time any available seats will be given out. It is not anticipated that many seats will be available at the last minute. (See related story on the SRU homepage.)

SRU TO OFFER ARMY’S JAZZ AMBASSADORS IN FREE JULY 3 CONCERT;

COMPLEMENTARY TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The U.S. Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors, the Army’s premier touring jazz orchestra with appearances in all 50 states, will present a free concert at 7 p.m. on July 3 in Slippery Rock University’s Miller Auditorium.

The 19-member band will perform patriotic, big band, swing, contemporary jazz and Dixieland selections, conducted by U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Kevin Laird. Sergeant First Class Marva Lewis is the featured vocalist.

Ticket information

           Up to six tickets are available by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the SRU University Public Relations Office, 1 Morrow Way, 201 Old Main, Slippery Rock, Pa., 16057. (Tickets may also be obtained by visiting the PR office.) Ticket requests received after June 27 will be held at the Miller Box Office.

     Concerts by the Jazz Ambassadors are designed to entertain and support the armed forces and diplomatic efforts. Custom compositions and arrangements highlight the group's creative talent and gifted soloists. Their diverse repertoire also includes bebop, Latin, jazz standards, popular tunes and vocals.

Billed as the military’s most traveled ensemble and based in Washington, D.C., the band has also appeared in Canada, Mexico, Japan, India and throughout Europe. Notable performances include concerts at international jazz festivals in Montreux, Switzerland; Newport, Rhode Island; Toronto, Canada; Brussels, Belgium; and the North Sea Jazz Festival in the Netherlands.

The Jazz Ambassadors performed in England, Wales, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Czech Republic in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. The band has also been featured in unique joint concerts with major orchestras, including the Detroit and Baltimore symphonies.

About the conductor

       Laird holds his master of arts in fine arts education from Truman State University. He enlisted in the Army in 1978 and holds several military decorations, including two Oak Leaf Clusters and a National Defense Service Ribbon.

     For more information, call SRU at 724-738-2091.

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